


The Misadventures of Alexandra Lightwood

by MonPetitTresor



Series: Tumblr Prompts and Potential Future AU's [10]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Genderswap, Insecure Alec Lightwood, M/M, Magnus Bane Loves Alec Lightwood, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Image, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, fem!Alec, fem!Magnus, supportive Magnus
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:07:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22309153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MonPetitTresor/pseuds/MonPetitTresor
Summary: A collection of ideas based on a prompt for gender swapped Alec and Magnus on tumblr. Follow Alexandra Lightwood as she and her girlfriend go through life proving that they can do just about anything so long as they have one another.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Tumblr Prompts and Potential Future AU's [10]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/891177
Comments: 4
Kudos: 53





	1. Date Night

**Author's Note:**

> This is really just a collection of one shots, which I will leave as 'unfinished' because I don't know when I'm going to get more ideas. If there's anything you'd like to see let me know!

_This is so stupid_. Alec stared at her reflection and tried not to give in to the urge to cross her arms over her chest. The last time she’d done that, she’d been smacked for _messing things up._ Still, none of it stopped her from glaring at her reflection, or from voicing her thoughts. “This is stupid. _I_ look stupid.”

“You don’t look stupid,” Isabelle said immediately. “No one dressed by me looks stupid.” She tugged at Alec’s hair a little harder than before, because she was goddamn evil like that, and Alec scowled at the reflection of her sister over her shoulder. In response, Isabelle gave her such a sickly sweet smile it had Alec snorting.

Alec found her eyes drifting down over her outfit again. It didn’t look any better the second time around, or the third, or the fourth. It wasn’t that it was _bad_ , it was just that it wasn’t _her_.

But Alec had asked for Isabelle’s help. Magnus had told her to dress nice for their date tonight and that was what Alec was going to do. It wasn’t often that she put out any real effort on how she looked for something that wasn’t work related. Even then, her clothes were both formal and practical in the way of most Shadowhunter women. Even Isabelle’s more risqué style was practical for _her_. It might not be for others, but it was for Isabelle.

Dressing like this, though? Alec didn’t have any real experience in this. She didn’t dress fancy or _pretty_ or any of those things that Isabelle liked. They’d never been her.

Yet here she was, standing in front of a mirror in a tight black dress that cut off midway up her thigh, thanks to the height different between her and Isabelle, and was only held up on the top by thin straps that went up from the center and over each shoulder. Alec felt _ridiculous_. She didn’t have a body like Isabelle’s. Alec’s chest was smaller, her hips were a bit wider, and as Isabelle liked to put it – “You’ve got legs that go on for days, Alec!” Which, really, should’ve meant that avoiding heels was probably the best route. Why make her already tall frame even taller? Only, Isabelle hadn’t agreed, and Alec had found herself in a pair of black strappy heels.

“Will you quit worrying already?” Isabelle demanded. “You look hot. Magnus isn’t gonna be able to keep her hands off of you.” She tugged the last bit of Alec’s hair into place, pinning together whatever it was she’d done. It left Alec’s long black hair hanging mostly loose down to the small of her back, but bits of it pulled up and pinned in a ring around the back of her head.

Not for the first time, Alec glared at her hair, annoyed by the sheer amount of it. She had to admit, though. Even if the outfit was the furthest thing from comfortable that Alec had ever been in, it did look good. Isabelle wasn’t wrong about that. Just imagining the way that Magnus was going to look at her was enough to ease some of Alec’s rougher edges. Her girlfriend had a way of staring at Alec like she was the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen – even when she was dressed in sweatpants and a tank top. Like this, with all her runes on display and so much skin showing? Magnus was going to be thrilled.

That made it all worth it, at least a little. Alec might not like this, but Magnus would, and as Isabelle had told her plenty of times, you had to put in a little effort for a date. _“Beauty is rarely comfortable, hermana.”_

Turning, Alec surprised Isabelle by pulling her into a quick hug. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, Alec.” Isabelle squeezed her back, and then pulled away, grinning broadly. “Now go have fun with your girl, and don’t worry about anything. We’ll handle things around here tonight. You just go have fun!”

A smile curved Alec’s lips. “Thanks.”

* * *

With Isabelle’s help, Alec got out of there without anyone noticing her, a fact which she was extremely grateful for. She also took her little sister’s advice and hailed a cab to get to Magnus’ place. It gave her a little time to sit and try and calm down before she got there. Though, she could’ve done without the looks the cabbie kept giving her.

All of it was worth it when she walked into the loft and got her first look at Magnus.

As always, the doors had opened for Alec, letting her inside without her even having to pause her step. She wasn’t surprised to find the room empty when she got in there. Magnus was probably finishing up getting ready.

Sure enough, when Alec called out “Magnus?” she got a response of “Be there in a minute, darling! I’m almost ready!”

Alec rolled her eyes. Her look was fond, though. She was more than used to the amount of time it could take Magnus to get ready. Despite the fact that she used magic to do most of the work. She still tended to cycle through a few different looks before she found one that she liked. There was no telling how long she’d already been at it, or how much longer she’d be.

With that in mind, Alec settled down on the comfortable chair, crossing one leg over the other and trying to unsuccessfully tug the hem of her dress down a little more.

The sound of heels on hardwood had Alec looking up. As soon as she did, she felt her eyes go wide and her mouth drop open just the slightest bit.

Magnus had definitely dressed to impress tonight. Her dress was about to her knees, with a slit up one side that went almost all the way up to her hip. When she took a step forward, little bits of silver peeked out from that slit, showing just a hint of the thigh-chain that she _knew_ Alec loved. The dress itself was ringed in pines of sparkly silver, up to the band of silver that sat underneath her breasts. Then the fabric split in a V to go in thick straps over her shoulders. It left quite a bit of cleavage free for her necklaces to dangle down into.

Silver rings and sparkling silver heels were matched by a few streaks of silver in her spiked hair. There were even a few lines of purple and silver that had been painted above Magnus’ ear, into the shaved part of her hair.

“Wow,” Alec breathed out. She rose to her feet, unable to look away from her girlfriend. “You look beautiful, Magnus.”

They hadn’t yet left the loft, which meant that Magnus had no qualms about showing her cat eyes. They ran over Alec in an answering appraisal that Alec swore she felt like a caress against her skin. Magnus slowly closed the distance between them as she looked Alec over. “As do you, my love.” She was finally close enough to rise up on her toes just the slightest bit and press a kiss against Alec’s lips. When Magnus pulled back, her expression was soft, and so full of love it stole Alec’s breath away. “You look positively gorgeous. And dreadfully uncomfortable.”

The last part of that had Alec ducking her head a little sheepishly. She’d hoped that her discomfort wouldn’t show through. “You said to dress nice.”

Magnus lifted one hand up and tucked a loose bit of Alec’s hair behind her ear. Then she let her hand settle over the side of Alec’s neck, fingertips just barely in her hair. “Yes. Nice for _you_ , not Isabelle.”

“Nice for me are jeans that don’t have any holes in them,” Alec said dryly. She reached out, letting her hands settle on Magnus’ shoulders.

“I fail to see the problem in that.”

“I wanted to do more than that.” Embarrassment had Alec wanting to shuffle in place. She hated talking about these kinds of things. But Magnus was looking up at her so earnestly, so openly, how on earth was Alec supposed to resist? She closed her eyes and turned her face in just enough to press against Magnus’ hand. As always, she found comfort in that touch. “You always look so beautiful when we go out. I just, I wanted to…”

“To what?” Magnus murmured as she trailed off. Her other hand came up, curving over Alec’s hip and drawing her in even closer. “To be worthy of being seen with me?”

Alec’s silence was answer enough.

She felt more than heard Magnus sigh. This wasn’t the first time this sort of subject had come up. Magnus knew better than anyone the body issues that Alec occasionally suffered from. It frustrated her, though she was always so good about never putting that anger off on Alec. “Sometimes I’m reminded as to why I loathe the entirety of your culture. You don’t…Alexandra, you never have to change who you are out of some misguided attempt at making yourself _worthy_.” Magnus drew her in until their foreheads were pressed together. “You have always been, and will always be, more than worthy. I love you for who you are, not for who anyone else might wish you would be. It doesn’t matter what you look like, or what you wear. _I love you_.”

There was a knot of emotion in Alec’s throat that was making it hard to speak. It turned her voice hoarse, yet she still forced out words past it. “Even in my holy sweaters?”

She was rewarded with a soft puff of laughter against her lips. “Even in your ridiculous sweaters. If you can find any. I’m quite sure I’ve replaced them all by now.”

Alec blinked a few times, and then she drew back to better be able to look at Magnus’ face. Was she joking? “You replaced my sweaters?”

The innocent look Magnus was going for didn’t work all that way. She always looked way too mischievous to pull off innocent. The twitch of her lips, and that dangerous twinkle in her eye, those gave her away every time. “No?”

“ _Magnus_.”

“Oh, calm down. It’s not like I replaced them with something _weird_. I got you the same exact sweater, just minus the holes.” A slow, easy smile started to curve Magnus’ lips, and she tugged Alec in close once more, wrapping both arms around her waist until they were pressed tightly together. Then she tipped her head up and blinked through smoky lashes in a way she knew would steal Alec’s breath again. “Like I said, darling, I love you for who you are. I wouldn’t change you for the world.”

This time when Magnus kissed her, Alec melted down into it, putting every ounce of her love for this gorgeous woman into it. She’d never met anyone like Magnus in her life. How it was she’d managed to get such an amazing, beautiful woman, Alec didn’t know, but she was going to enjoy every single blessed moment of their time together.

When Magnus finally pulled back, they were both a little breathless. Magnus reached one hand up to brush her knuckles over Alec’s cheek. Then she smiled wide enough to crinkle her eyes. “Now that that’s settled, how about we get you into something a bit more comfortable? I’m in the mood to show off my beautiful girlfriend to the world.”

Alec felt no shame at the idea of ruining the look that Isabelle had created for her. With Magnus looking at her like that, and the heat still singing in her veins, all Alec could do was smile. “I’d like that.”


	2. The Haircut

Alec clutched tightly to Magnus’ hand as they came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk. Straight ahead of them was their destination. They’d walked here, mostly so Alec could put this off for a little bit longer, but now they were here and she was out of time.

“You know, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” Magnus reminded her. It wasn’t the first time she’d said it, and it might not even be the last.

Hearing it helped, though. Even just a little. “I know. I…I want to. I do. It’s just…” Closing her eyes, Alec sighed heavily. She hadn’t given Magnus any real reason why she hadn’t done this already, or why she was so hesitant. All her girlfriend knew was that Alec _wanted_ to cut her hair yet had never done it. And Magnus had been completely supportive of Alec finally deciding to go. She’d come with her, been supportive, held her hand on the walk over, kept her sane.

“Hey.” The hand holding Alec’s gave a small tug. She opened her eyes as she found herself pulled in close, Magnus’ free hand catching her hip and dragging her in until they were pressed together. Their joined hands had twisted a little so that Alec ended up with that hand behind her back. Magnus smiled, and then kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s going to be fine. Remember what we talked about. This is your hair, your body, and no one else has any right to tell you what to do with it.”

“I know. I just, I already get enough crap from people about how I look or what I do. If I cut my hair off, all I’m going to hear is how I must really want to be a guy if I’m trying to look like one now, too.”

The words were out before Alec could even think about censoring them. As soon as they were, she sucked in a breath as if that would somehow take them back. She’d deliberately kept quiet about the kinds of things people had taken to saying to her after her failed wedding. One thing that Alec had learned was that Magnus was an extremely protective girlfriend. She wouldn’t react well to anyone insulting Alec.

Sure enough, when Alec snuck a look up she found Magnus’ eyes flashing with barely repressed magic. “People say that to you?”

“It’s no big deal.” Even though she knew it wouldn’t work, Alec hurried to try and diffuse the situation. She didn’t need Magnus storming the Institute to defend her honor. Which she very much would do.

The way Magnus was glaring said that, no, Alec’s attempts to calm her definitely weren’t working. “Yes, it is.” Then she surprised Alec by sighing heavily and leaning in, dropping soft kisses against Alec’s cheeks. “As much as I’d love to blame this on Shadowhunter culture, unfortunately, it’s just as common everywhere else, too. Women have always been expected to conform to certain standards. In some ways…” Magnus paused, shuddering theatrically. “…Shadowhunters are slightly _forward_ in their treatment of women. Many cultures won’t even let women fight.”

“See? It could definitely be worse.”

“Just because it’s not as bad for you as it could be doesn’t mean that it’s not still bad, darling,” Magnus pointed out, her tone gentle.

This was a whole lot deeper of a conversation than Alec had wanted to have. Especially while standing out on a public sidewalk.

Magnus must’ve realized that because she let out another sigh. Then she gave Alec one more kiss before pulling back. The two went back to just holding hands. Using that grip, Magnus tugged her forward to get them moving again. “We can discuss that later. For now, we’re going to take you in there and let you get pampered properly, and you’re going to get an absolutely gorgeous haircut that _you_ want, not something that someone else picked for you. Then I’m going to take you home and show you my appreciation for it until you scream.”

A blush instantly heated Alec’s cheeks. She darted a look around, unable to help herself. Then she cut a sharp look Magnus’ way. There was no point in scolding her girlfriend. It would only encourage Magnus to keep going. Instead, she settled for pointing out, “You don’t even know what I’ve picked yet.”

“As if any part of you could ever be anything but gorgeous.”

That only served to deepen Alec’s blush. Yet she held on Magnus’ hand even tighter, drawing comfort from her presence as she finally made their way inside the hair salon.

* * *

Twenty minutes later Alec walked out of the salon feeling ten pounds lighter than when she’d gone in.

She couldn’t stop reaching up to brush her fingers through her now very-short hair. Not that Magnus was doing any better. She kept reaching up to touch Alec’s hair, brushing at the wispy, wavy bits of it. They’d discovered quite a few loose curls and waves in her hair when they’d cut it.

Despite what the hairdresser had suggested at first, Alec had opted for something simple in the end. Something that she wouldn’t have to work hard to maintain. Longer hair was such a pain in the ass to care for. Washing, brushing, all of it. Not to mention it gave her a headache especially when it was wet. Now her hair was barely a couple inches long, at most, and was a wavy mess around her head that made her look sort of like she’d just climbed out of bed, only… good?

The hairdresser and Magnus both had been quite vocal about how good it turned out. They’d talked about the shape of her face, or how it brought out her eyes, or a bunch of other stuff that Alec hadn’t really paid any attention to. All she’d been able to focus on was her reflection in the mirror as a lifetime worth of hair growth was cut away. In the back of her mind had been her mother’s voice, telling her “ _Just because you are a warrior doesn’t mean you have to forget you’re a woman, or vice versa. Men appreciate a strong warrior as their wife, yet they also want to know we are still capable of being feminine. It’s a fine balance to walk, Alexandra.”_

Maryse had always been concerned with making sure her daughters were warriors. That they were strong, and proud. Yet she’d wanted to make sure they understood what it meant to be women, too. In a lot of ways Alec was grateful for those lessons. In others… while Magnus was right, Shadowhunters did place value on women as fighters, and being female didn’t mean that they weren’t allowed to fight, they also placed huge pressure on their women. Pressure to be strong, be pretty, find a good husband, carry on the family legacy. No one drank from the Cup anymore. New Shadowhunters were only made the natural way. Which meant that everyone was expected to help further the Shadowhunter legacy.

Cutting her hair was only a minor rebellion against the grand scheme of things. Maryse and others wouldn’t be happy about it. Alec knew that. She knew she’d get the slurs, the jokes about wanting to _be a man_ , the talk about how no guy was going to want her now.

But, as Alec snuck a look over at Magnus, she watched her girlfriend’s smile grow and felt the echoing warmth in her heart grow too. It’d be worth it. All those jokes, all those comments, all the leering remarks, Alec could handle those. Because she’d always have the ones she loved by her side. And at the end of the day, she would have Magnus. That was worth just about anything else.


End file.
